Deciding on what type of smoker you purchase depends on a few factors -
1. Where do you intend to smoke, indoors or outdoors?
2. Does the smoker need to be portable due to space constraints?
3. How much time do you plan to spend throughout the smoking process?
4. What is your budget?
Lets firstly review the numerous types of smokers
Charcoal - Vertical Water Smoker. A lot of folks say that the charcoal smoker adds to the flavor of the meat you are cooking. The jury is still out on that one but I believe that it does. After you get the coals going, around 20 - 30 minutes, you can start cooking. Within 3 hours the coals will have a thick gray ash over them. You need to remove this ash and add new, already burning, coals. It is best to have a charcoal chimney handy so that you can start some fresh coals before you need to add more to the smoker.
So as you can see, there is a lot more effort on a charcoal smoker but I believe that the results are worth this effort.
Wood Just as with the charcoal smoker, wood smokers require ongoing attention throughout the smoking process. Your smoking wood needs to be soaked so that it produces smoke and does not flame up. This wood is typically in chip form. You will then need to start the fire and when the burning wood turns to coals, you can add the wood chips and start smoking. Again paying very watchful attention to sustain the correct heat. Around 150 - 200 degrees.
Gas smokers come in two makes, propane or natural. Propane smokers are portable, easy and convenient. All you need is a propane tank and you are prepared to go. With natural gas smokers, they are clearly less portable as they hook up to your household gas line.
The biggest advantages with gas smokers is that you can control the temperature very simply as they come with a dial to turn up or down the heat. They are also a lot easier to keep up and clean. The process is comparable with the wood chips. Soak them in water, or a liquid of your choice (not alcohol) and then add them to the chip pan in the smoker.
Electric Electric smokers are comparable to gas in that you merely plug it up and hit the switch. Once it's reached the desired temperature, add the wood chips or chunks to the element and induce smoking.
Good luck with your selection of smoker and enjoy.
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